Spanish and Portuguese students have many exciting study abroad opportunities. Don’t restrict your Spanish or Portuguese education to just the classroom—get out into the Spanish and Lusophone-speaking worlds! Consider enrolling in the Latin American Studies Semester and traveling to Peru.

Additionally, The Office of Education Abroad offers students an exciting array of opportunities to study abroad in Brazil and the Lusophone world by approved university programs.

Latin American Studies Semester (LASS)

Program Overview

Applications are now being accepted for LASS Spring 2026.

The Latin American Studies Semester has been offered every spring semester since 1973. This unique language immersion program provides you with an intensive experience studying the Spanish language in combination with an interdisciplinary study of life and contemporary issues in Latin America.

The prerequisite for participation in LASS is one semester of university-level Spanish or the equivalent (students with more advanced levels of course background are encouraged to participate in the program). LASS integrates several courses, totaling 18-semester-hour credits, and must be taken as a package. All courses are taught in Spanish from the first day of class on Temple’s main campus. An integral part of the LASS program is a three-week study trip to Latin America (Lima, Cusco, & Machu Picchu in Peru) in March, during which students are placed in local homes where the only language of communication is Spanish. While abroad, students attend courses, make local friends, immerse themselves daily in the local culture and explore the country. The LASS program has taken place in Colombia, México, Costa Rica and Peru. All participants in the program may expect to achieve marked improvement in Spanish fluency in only one semester.

Courses

LASS courses combine Spanish language teachings studies of Latin America’s diverse cultures. The program is an integration of several courses, totaling 18-semester-hour credits, and must be taken as a package. Owing to the credit-hour load, the semester’s objective (immersion in Spanish and Latin American Studies), the study-abroad trip and LASS community engagement in Philadelphia, no other courses may be taken simultaneously. Students register for the following courses:

• Spanish 2098: Intensive Practice/Four Skills – 9 credits.
• SPAN 3204 Latin America through Film – 3 credits.
• Spanish 3261: The Hispanic World – 3 credits.
• Latin American Studies 2220: LASS Seminar – 3 credits.

Morning sessions, held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday, offer Spanish language instruction and conversation practice at intermediate and advanced levels guided by native or near-native speakers. Afternoon sessions, held from 1 p.m. to 1:50 pm and 2 p.m. to 2:50 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, will focus on Latin American culture through film and highlight a series of topics in Latin American studies, including presentations by guest speakers. Afternoon sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. will offer information about Latin America’s history, geography, and contemporary events.

Accommodations

Living with host families gives students a truly immersive experience. The local families host one to two LASS student each for maximum cultural and language engagement. Students routinely rate the homestay experience as their favorite part of studying abroad.

All housing engages students in everyday life as they share meals, discuss their day and get to know their new extended families. Homestays include three meals a day and laundry. Every family has been carefully selected in order to ensure a comfortable, enjoyable, supportive living situation. Homestays are subject to change.

Cost

The 18-semester-hour credits program includes an additional fee of $3,000. Please note this fee is subject to change. The fee is incorporated into the tuition for one of the LASS courses and is paid as part of the student spring registration. The fee covers: housing, meals, courses and excursions while abroad. Students are responsible for the cost of their airline tickets.

LASS Spring 2026 Calendar

• April 30th, 2025: LASS Application opens, rolling admission until capacity reached
• September 16th, 2025: 3:00 – 4:00 pm; LASS Information Session 1 - Mazur 422
• October 15th, 2025: 4:00 – 5:00 pm; LASS Information Session 2 - Mazur 422
• November 4th, 2025: 3:00 – 4:00pm; LASS Q&A Session - Mazur 422
• January 12th, 2026: First Day of Class for the LASS Program
• February 28th-March 22, 2026: 3-week Study Trip to Lima, Peru, with excursions to Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, and Cusco.

Eligibility And Application Process

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Have successfully completed 1001 or the equivalent (a minimum of one semester of university-level Spanish), although preference will be given to students that have completed 1002.
• Possess a minimum 2.8 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale from all colleges/universities attended, although preference will be given to GPAs above 3.0.
• Be enrolled as a full-time matriculated student at the time of application.
• Not be on academic and/or disciplinary probation or warning.
• Students will be selected on the basis of their intellectual resolve, emotional maturity and commitment to the program. Successful candidates are usually notified within three weeks of receiving a completed application.

A passport is required for traveling outside of the country. If you do not already have a valid passport, you should apply for one immediately. All students will be asked to provide their passport information the first week of December. Further documentation may be necessary, and this information will be conveyed as it becomes available.

Stay Involved with LASS

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